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10 Prinsegracht, The Hague; addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, preso d'Amalfi, Italia. - Bob's first letter from Ravello arrived yesterday; it arrived just as she was going to the dentist and gave her strength to stand all the treatment; at the end she 'nearly hugged the doctor'. Bob's quotation from Chaucer is 'charming'; hopes he will never need complain of his 'wyve's cussedness'. She got the proofs for her photos yesterday and is quite pleased with them: 'the one without the eye glasses is almost pretty'; will send them to Bob's mother and Bob himself. Writes on the 14th to say that she went to hear a rehearsal the day before 'more worth than last time'; heard an ouverture by Chabrier, 'an empty French piece of music', then Beethoven's second symphony to her 'great delight'. Then she heard Bob's 'friend [Frederic?] Lamond' play the Tchaikowsky piano concerto, and admired his playing but did not care much for the piece. Was sitting with a Russian lady, Madame de Rhemen, who is married to a Dutch Baron and 'a great swell... and a would-be patroniser and enthusiast for musical life at the Hague', 'very clever & intellectual.... though narrow-minded and hard in her opinions'. She 'fascinated Tuttie [Maria Hubrecht] at one time' until 'the tables were turned' and Tuttie became rather tired of her, and 'taken up with her American friend [Maud Howard]', it was 'such a comedy'; now Bessie thinks the feelings on both sides have 'fallen rather flat'. Her husband is 'a dry stolid old Dutchman', and the marriage not happy. Had not seen her since the summer; she wanted to hear all about Bob; is going to dine with her on Saturday then go to a music recital. Another old Russian lady, the Comtesse de Bylandt, came to sit with them; told Bessie she had lived twenty years in England, knows Bob's parents, and knew his grandfather very well. Returned home and took down some 'dull' dictation for her uncle [Paul François Hubrecht]. [Her brother-in-law Julius Engelbert] Röntgen writes that the family are all pleased with their new sister, except Johannes 'who began to howl when the baby was shown to him'. Is very cross that a letter from her sister [Abrahamina] inviting her to come to hear a chamber concert on Saturday only reached her yesterday; she could have played to [Bram] Eldering and got some preliminary advice, as he is too busy to start her lessons before January.

Gredel Guye is coming again on Friday, as her oral examination is on Saturday; remembers the day of her last visit, which was when Bob had his interview with her uncle. Had a strange dream last night in which 'some curious law' forced her to marry someone else, she thinks Mr Eldering, and woke with great relief. Got Bob's father's "Life of Macauley" from the library recently (they only have that, his "American Revolution", and Bob's brother George's book ["England in the Age of Wycliffe, 1368–1520"]. Macauley's life looks 'very interesting'; has glanced through and seen a letter of his to his sister Margaret about his other sister [Hannah]'s marriage to Bob's grandfather, speaking very highly of him. Agrees that she must read [Theodor] Mommsen, as Bob said at Taormina, to see whether he can inspire with 'the true love of history' she has never possessed. Happy thoughts about her feelings for Bob and their marriage. Now going to stay with her cousin Louise Hubrecht again at Leiden; is taking her [Bob's] "Mallow and Asphodel" as she asked to see it.

Addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, preso d'Amalfi, Italia. - Has just received Bob's letter of the 12th. Asks if he has written to Mrs Cacciola ; thinks he intended to do so; Bramine [Hubrecht] has asked if Mrs Cacciola knows [about the engagement] as she wants to pay a visit; thinks it better he should write to her than to 'J'. 'Poor Gredel [Guye]' is having her exam now, but is not hopeful about it. The view shown by the post card must be taken from Bob's hotel in the Hague or very close.

10 Prinsegracht, s'Gravenhage; addressed to Bob at Pension Palumbo, Ravello, presso d'Amalfi, Italia. - 'Poor Gredel [Guye]' has failed; she is 'downcast', but 'very sensible' knowing it is a very hard exam and she can try next year. She and her family seem to like Bob very much. Is not sure about Bob's correction of her Italian. Notes that her letters reach him quicker than his get to her; discusses love letters; often wishes she could find new ways of expressing her love; would be good if Bob learnt Dutch so that she could write to him in it. Asks if he knows he sometime leaves out words, about two or three a page; when he wrote 'sea-sickness would prevent [him] from coming to see [her]', meaning the contrary, she thought she would have to give him up. Glad that Ravello has inspired Bob's 'poetic vein', as she sees in his letter. Unsure why Bob is surprised she showed his mother's photographs to her uncle and aunt, especially as he knows how everything which enters the house 'is enquired after'. Spent a very happy afternoon at Leiden on Thursday, seeing her cousin Louise [Hubrecht]; wants Bob to meet her as she is so nice; told her lots about him and left his poems ["Mallow and Asphodel"]. Went skating yesterday on the ponds in the wood, for the first time this year; wonders if Bob skates and imagines skating together. Went to see the 'poor man at the Hospital' [see 9/]13 again this afternoon, and got to know him much better; he told her that there was a man in the same ward who had earned his living 'travelling round the country with a crocodile, which he had left behind at his inn now' earning about 8 guilders, almost fourteen shillings, a week. If the weather is good tomorrow, will go to Amsterdam to see her niece Amanda Röntgen and congratulate her parents; now she is going to read [Sir George Otto Trevelyan's] 'Life of Macauley'; will also re-read [Joseph Henry Shorthouse's] "John Inglesant" so as to be reading it at the same time as Bob and able to discuss it with him.

Continues the letter next morning; has put off her visit to Amsterdam, probably till Tuesday. Ambro [Hubrecht] stayed the night after 'looking after his smelly whale [see 9/14] again'; they have produced much 'precious oil' from it, though it has been hard getting kettles big enough to hold the bones; he was 'very lively' and has sent Bob a bound copy of his American speech. Discusses [General Sir Redvers Henry] Buller's defeat at Colenso, and asks if it might effect a change in public opinion. Asks whether he likes the "Manchester Guardian", and whether it reaches him quickly. Asks if he has heard from [Lina] Duff Gordon or his 'Florence friends' [the Berensons?]. She has had a 'very nice letter' from Mrs Hartmann, the Danish lady, also from Miss Dahlrup who sends kindest regards. Looks forward very much to returning to Sicily together. Has also hear from Mrs van Riemdyk about Tonina's violin; they would never sell it but would loan it to Bessie, which is 'quite unlawful'. so Bessie has replied to say she is not interested and Bob's 'sweet, kind & generous gift... must come to nothing'. Has been reading an argument between the Brownings about duelling, which she discusses, as well as the possibility of Bob losing his temper with her and vice versa; calls herself 'a hasty-tempered vixen'. Finishes off the letter next morning; likes the poetry Bob has copied out for her, especially Blake's; the beginning of his letter is 'very naughty indeed', and he will get his 'whipping one day - women's whips are their tongues'; quotes a Dutch proverb translated into English. Hopes his host is better, and that the storms have passed.

10 Prinsegracht, Hague; addressed to Bob at Penmenner House, The Lizard, Cornwall and forwarded to him at 3 Hare Court, Inner Temple, London. - Will study the patterns Bob has sent her and send them to London, with her choice for his 'nuptial trousers' and travelling suit. Will speak again to her uncle about Bob's objections to writing himself to the consul [Henry Turing]. Entreats Bob for Sir Henry House and his wife not to be invited to the wedding breakfast: her uncle and aunt, who will send out the invitations, do not know the Howards at all so it does not matter that they are 'very distant relations', while their presence would give 'a different ton to the whole business' and make her miserable. It is also likely that Grandmont and Bramine would not come if the Howards were invited, due to their objection to 'jingos'. Does not see it as necessary to invite the Howards, unless Bob's parents wish it especially. Sometimes wishes they could marry 'quietly without anyone near', though knows it could be a lovely day with happy memories; wishes people could 'take it easier'. Returns to the letter after a walk with her aunt, who agrees with her about having to give up part of her musical interests after marriage; understand what Bob means, and thinks she may have expressed herself too strongly in her first letter [9/45], which is the 'wretched side of correspondence'; will wait until she sees him to discuss it. Sees what Bob means about Mrs [Helen] Fry's cigarette smoking; cannot quite feel as he does yet; knows she does have 'a great and natural tendency to rectilineal & rather exclusive argumentation'; hopes she can 'suspend judgment' as Bob says. Does not know enough about German literature to comment on what he says about German literature, but emphasises the advantage, 'which the English nation as a whole is slow & rare in acknowledging' of being able to talk to foreigners in their own language; as an example, it was a real shame that Bob and [Julius Engelbert] Röntgen were unable to converse properly; this is why she was so disappointed when he once refused to learn as 'it seemed such an insular British way of looking at it'. Ordered the book [Stevenson's "The Suicide Club"] for Jan [Hubrecht] and he was very pleased. Mr Kattendijke and Mr Loudon are coming to make music this afternoon. Lula [Julius Röntgen] is recovering from his severe illness. Joachim is going to play with his quartet in Amsterdam next Saturday, and Mien has got her a ticket; will stay with Mrs Guye [or Guije], Gredel's mother; would love to go to the supper party the Röntgens are having for Joachim after the concert but expects Mien has too many guests to invite her. Is glad not to see Bob with his beard, and hopes he never decides to grow one. Asks who Jacobi is, and for Bob to tell him what 'the Cambridge Moore [i.e. George] thinks of his play.

10 Prinsegracht, Hague; addressed to Bob at 3 Hare Court, Inner Temple, London. - Returns the samples of cloth, with comments on which she prefers for Bob's travelling suit; for his [wedding] trousers thinks he should find a light blueish grey cloth and encloses a sample of the colour she recommends; tells him not to get the coat of his travelling suit made too short as her aunt thinks he looks as if he is growing out of his old one. Has looked up the address at the British consul at Rotterdam, Henry Thuring [sic: Turing]; her uncle remains of the opinion that Bob should write to the consul and she agrees this is much more courteous; suggests he send the letter to Sir Henry Howard with a note informing him of their plans. Her uncle has been reading the marriage contract to her; it goes now to the notary 'for a last polish' and will soon be sent to Bob for his approval. Asks him to tell her when he does the shopping in London for the beds; discusses the things which his mother is kindly going to send some things from Welcombe. Will write to Charles and George [Trevelyan] to thank them for the music box. Goes for a lesson in Amsterdam [with Eldering] on Friday, and will stay the night with 'cousin [Gredel] Guye'; then goes to stay with an aunt at Hilversum till Sunday; will spend Sunday with her [half] sister [Theodora] who 'lives in the farm with her husband the socialist', and return to Amsterdam to [her sister] Mien, who has invited her to stay for the evening entertainment after Joachim's concert to meet him. When Joachim plays at the Hague next Friday, she will go with Alice Jones, who is staying a little longer than [her brother] Herbert. Cannot fit in a visit to Almelo [to see her friend Jeanne Salomonson Asser] and her other sister [Henriette] before May. Asks Bob to bring 'the gold spectacles' with him when he comes over. Tuttie [Hubrecht] is coming on May 17 or 18; her own birthday is on 21 May, asks if Bob could come before that. Encloses a newspaper cutting with a poem by Vondel's contemporary Hooft, translated by

Pension Palumbo, Ravello, presso Amalfi. - Has received the "Descent of the Primates" from Professor [Ambrosius] Hubrecht and found it very interesting; a long time since he read Darwin and 'tried to imagine [his] hairy, long-eard, tail-bearing, tree-haunting ancestors' and the paper has 'quite revived' the old fascination; never thought the hedgehog was 'so comparatively near a relation'. He and [Roger] Fry used to have one in London to kill black-beetles, which they called Hochi-Weechi, the Romany for hedgehog. Obviously Hubrecht's work is 'of great importance and value'. Had forgotten to send him the address of his own spectacle shop, and will do so when he writes to thank him. Had also forgotten to tell Mrs Cacciola [Florence Trevelyan; about their engagement]; will write at once. Hopes Gredel [Guije] gets through [her exam].

Continues the letter next day. Has got on 'fairly well' with his play recently; the sirocco is blowing today so he cannot do much except copy out what he has done so far, translate some Sophocles, and deal with correspondence. Old Palumbo is about the same; his wife does not want Bob to go unless absolutely necessary. Has not yet had a letter, or rings from which to choose one for her, from the Frys, but has written to them. Has had a 'charming' letter from Tommy Phelps [17/156], whom he calls 'almost my eldest friend' and had jokingly warned him against Dutch ladies when he would not tell him why he was going to Holland again so soon; it was also Phelps who originated the Vondel / fondle pun. Also returns C [Charles Trevelyan?]'s letter. Copies out some lines from "Troilus and Cressida", which he discusses briefly.

Pension Palumbo, Ravello. - There is not sufficient paper in the hotel to answer her long letter as it deserves. Strange that he is not inspired to write Bessie love-poetry, but says he is 'not good at putting difficult and elaborate and wonderful thoughts into verse', which would be needed; will try one day. Sorry that Gredel [Guije] failed. Since he sometimes misses out words in his letters, Bessie need never be shocked by his 'wicked opinions' but can add 'nots' when she pleases and 'convert the sense to please [her] fancy'. Glad she is re-reading [Joseph Henry Shorthouse's] "John Inglesant". Sends her kisses "blown through the ether like waves of light or electricity'. Continues the letter next morning, copying out an extract about Shorthouse from a piece of paper in Mrs Reid's book an extract from a letter from Isabel Balfour; this recalls what his brother [George?] has heard about Shorthouse. The book reminds Bob of Pater's "Marius the Epicurean"; thinks one must have influenced the other; also thinks "Marius" the better book on the whole. Asks his waiter to settle their dispute about Italian grammar, which he does in Bob's favour. Returns to the letter in the afternoon: old Palumbo died this morning, and since his wife did not want Bob to leave, he is staying in a separate part of the house where he is 'quite out of the way'. News has just come that the Cappuccini hotel at Amalfi 'has subsided on a great part of it' and some people have been killed. Writes again in the evening having gone to see the landslip, which was as bad as the rumours; seven or eight people died, and 'part of the end of the hotel had gone'. The people say it is St. Francis' doing, "angry because his monastery had been put to base uses". Had never been to Amalfi before, though this is his third visit; not much to see 'except the people and the beggars', and the Cathedral is 'spoilt by restoring'. Palumbo was dying about the same time as the landslip, and the proprietor of the Cappuccini, a friend, was here comforting Madame Palumbo when the news about the hotel came. 'They say he almost fainted... [and] will probably be ruined, as no one will dare come to his hotel now'. Bob exerted himself greatly on the journey down to Amalfi and back and 'sweeted (in Grandmont language' despite the bitter cold.

Originally enclosing a 'charming letter from [Eddie] Marsh'; his 'first Cambridge friend' who works in the Colonial office 'though, like many there, he does not like the war'; gives a brief character sketch. Has also heard from [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson. Has not heard from [Bernard] Berenson, but has from [Mary] Costelloe, whom he just asked Berenson to tell; 'rather annoying', as he 'care[s] for Berenson very much, and dislike Mrs C.', though it was a 'perfectly proper letter'. Is very troubled by [Lina] Duff Gordon's letter: her wish for his happiness is 'unmistakeably sincere', as she always is, but her reply to his wish for them to remain as good friends is that since he told her nothing about this when he saw her 'constantly' in London last October, things can never be quite the same. It would have been very difficult to tell her, but feels that perhaps he should have done, not because she was an 'intimate friend' - the only one of his friends he told, 'for special reasons', was Fry - but because Mrs Costelloe had been spreading rumours that she was in love with him. Perhaps this was true, and he should have realised, although he does not think he gave her reason to believe he was in love with her; it is possible that Mrs Costelloe has stirred up trouble, as 'she has a great influence over Miss D. G.' and he believes her 'really to be a bad woman, though with many good qualities'. Is going to see Palumbo's funeral start for Naples. Writes again in the evening, after writing at 'my cliff, the Cembrone [Cimbrone]'. Quotes from a letter from Tom Moore: Moore thinks he will 'make a good husband' but spoil all his children. Has received Bessie's next letter, but not the photographs. He can skate, but not very well. Does not think Buller's defeat will make much difference to British attitudes to the [Second Boer] war; discussion of the war; does not think it would be good if all of South Africa were governed by the Dutch, would not object to 'an independent Dutch South Africa if it were well governed, and the natives treated properly' which currently happens in the Cape but not in the Transvaal. Methuen and probably Buller are not equal to the people against them, but this does not mean the English have fought badly; however, she need not worry that he is 'becoming Jingo'. Sorry Bessie has missed Tonina [van Riemsdijk]'s violin; when one good enough becomes available, will get it for her. They must visit Ravello together; Madame asked if they would come here on their honeymoon, which they will have to discuss; she intends to keep the hotel for some years at least.